Our season runs from November through roughly the first week of March.  

Indoor tryout dates for 2019-2020 have been posted and registration is now open!

What is the cost and what does that include? The 2019-2020 season cost is $799.  This includes five tournament fees, a practice pinnie (new style this year!) and the cost of our facilities rentals and coaching staff.

Your fee covers all your mandatory expenses except uniform. This fee is lower than almost all other competitive indoor club programs. The fee may be broken down in two or three installment payments but we are happy to work with families that need to spread payments out further. You will also need to purchase a uniform.  We are changing our uniform style and brand this year.   Players need to provide own sticks, mouth guards, shin guards, indoor appropriate (non-marking) shoes.  We do also offer a $50 discount for each sibling after the first registered participant.

Guest Clinicians:  We will be changing our clinic format this year.  We will be offering skills clinics for smaller groups with a variety of guest clinicians.  Our goal is to expose the players to a variety of skills and styles, and bringing in a range of different clinicians will help the players become more well rounded in their hockey knowledge.  These sessions will be pay to play and are NOT included in the season fee.  We have started some of the new clinics with specific skills focuses and a college coach / international player over the summer and have had a great response!

When and where are practices?
Practice will be at Dickinson High School or Smyrna High School.  You may not request your practice location, but please note we are cognizant of where you live and will make every effort to not be overly burdensome.  Our focus is on building the strongest possible teams.  You will be given practice site information before being asked to accept your spot.  Attendance is very important to remain competitive. Goalkeeping training will be available for goalies that wish to get additional training.  

When are the tournaments or games? Each team is assigned their own team schedule and tournaments will be in December - February. Most tournaments are within a 1.5 hour drive or less.  Your fee covers five regular-season tournament fees.  If a team opts for a 6th^th tournament such as an NIT Prep tournament or a college showcase, incremental fees are collected.  Typically tournaments are Saturdays and/or Sundays, and mostly a half day. We encourage people to carpool.  There are opportunities for Monday tournaments on holidays such as President’s Day.

Can I request a specific team and/or practice day/time?  Unfortunately with 175+ players and multiple skill levels, we are unable to accommodate requests for specific team placements.  We strive to build competitive teams, and to do so we must place players appropriately based on experience and demonstrated ability at tryouts or previous seasons.  For returning players, please note that observations were conducted, and each coach turned in player evaluations at the end of the season.  Players are not guaranteed to stay with the same group each year as some girls improve and some girls need more development.

What equipment do I need? Indoor field hockey stick, indoor sport-court type shoes (volleyball shoes are great), mouth guard, and a uniform (also ordered through club). We highly recommend you shop for sticks etc., at Her Game, located in Newtown Square, PA. The owner gives Sharks a competitive discount, and actually has a field complete with cages in his store. He will spend a half hour with your daughter to make sure the stick is a good match for her style of play. Tell Keith that Laura and Jen from the Sharks sent you!

How do I know what age group my child is?  (updated for 2019-2020 season)

Who are the coaches?  The majority of our coaches have college field hockey experience.  Many also have a history of coaching at middle school, high school, and club programs.  A full profile of each of our coaches is available on delawaresharks.com. All have background checks and are USFHA Safe Sport certified.

What are reasonable expectations of playing time? Everyone gets to play in every game. However there is no promise of equal playing time as this is a competitive program. Decisions are based on skill, experience, needs of the team at the time, whether a player is having an ‘off’ day or not.  Generally at the U10 and U12 level playing time is more balanced as many players are new to the game and we take a developmental approach.

What if I have an issue I need to discuss with the coach? We encourage your daughter to first address a problem with the coach directly. We are grooming these young ladies to be strong women and as such please encourage your daughter to work out any issues herself. If that avenue is not successful you can contact the coach at a time other than games/tournaments, preferably after practice. In the event of an incident or problem, please wait 24 hours before contacting the coach as it gives both parties time to think through things and not be reactionary.  We will be including a both a player and a parent behavior contract as part of registration this year.  Aggressive and/or abusive behavior toward coaches or toward umpires will not be tolerated and may be course for removal from the program.